Journey Underground
by YouStoleMySocks
Summary: Sarah is six years old and it's her first visit to the Labyrinth. Overrated T for the use of alcohol, the abuse of goblins, and the sexiness that is Jareth. Enjoy.
1. The Beginning

**A/N: Ok, so I was watching the movie and I noticed that some of the dialogue made it seem like Sarah had been there before. And then I noticed that a lot of fics are about either Sarah returning to the Labyrinth or a descendant of hers going there. And then the idea to have a young Sarah journey to the Labyrinth hit me. This is the result.**

**A/N: I don't own anything, this was merely for fun.**

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><p>Journey Underground<p>

The girl could not sit still. Her mother was trying to braid her hair but it was proving to be a most difficult task.

"Sarah, quit squirming. I'm almost done."

The girl fell still, her hands folded in her lap, while her mother twisted the last of her dark locks into the braid.

"Alright, you're free to go."

Sarah jumped to her feet and raced outside, her mother's laughter following her. She ran across the yard to the play set where she plopped onto a swing. With a push off the ground, she set herself into motion, building up momentum until her feet touched the sky. She loved the weightless feeling but the swing soon lost her attention. She dragged her heels in the dirt to bring herself to a stop and then stood. A sudden breeze whipped a few strands of her hair loose from the braid. She wandered around the yard for awhile before coming to the edge of the property. Beyond the neatly trimmed grass lay towering trees and dense undergrowth. The quiet babble of a brook could be heard in the distance. Sarah smiled and plunged into the wood. She tromped through the undergrowth, tripping over logs and slipping in the mud as she followed the sound of the brook. There were leaves in her hair and her shirt was ruined by the time she found the shallow stream. Her eyes bright with excitement, she ran to the water's edge and knelt down to watch the water flow across the mossy rocks. She dipped her hands in and immediately squeaked at the icy temperature. A small frown on her face, she braved the water again, intent on securing the smooth pebbles resting on the bottom. She let out a triumphant laugh as she lifted her prize out of the stream. Setting them aside, she turned her gaze back to the brook. There was a flash of gold in the water and she looked up to see an owl gliding overhead. It landed in a tree on the other side of the stream.

"Hi!" Sarah called.

A wind blew through the wood, ruffling the owl's golden feathers and pulling more strands of hair from her braid. She watched the bird for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You look lonely." She said suddenly.

The bird cocked its head at her before letting out a screech and throwing itself from the branch. She stared, eyes wide with wonder, as it soared away through the trees. She looked back at the tree it had previously occupied and smiled. Nestled among the tree roots was a gold feather.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

She stumbled out of the woods into her backyard, her pockets stuffed with rocks, leaves, and other things she'd collected. Clutched in her fist was the feather. She walked into the house and found her mother on the phone in the living room.

"Look mom!" she said, holding up the feather.

"Sarah!" the woman exclaimed. To the person on the other end of the phone she said, "I have to call you back."

"What happened?" she asked after setting down the phone.

The girl's cheeks were caked in dirt, her shirt was torn and dirty, her legs were covered in mud and there was a whole manner of nature in her hair.

I found treasure in the woods." Sarah said, emptying her pockets and placing her collection on the table. Her mother sighed, exasperated, but there was laughter in her eyes.

"Upstairs with you. You need a bath."

The girl groaned but, at the look from her mother, trudged up the stairs. She went into the bathroom and stood out of the way as her mother drew the bath. Once the tub was filled, her mother peeled the dirty clothes off and set her in the water. The scrubbed her legs with a rag while her mother set to work unbraiding her hair and removing the twigs and leaves. She squealed whenever a knot was snagged. Finally her hair was clean of debris and her mother grabbed a rag to scour her face. Sarah whined but her mother paid no attention as she scrubbed her way down to her arms. When her skin was red and raw, her mother let the murky water out and filled the tub back up. She added bubble bath and Sarah's face lit up.

"Bubbles!" she shrieked as mountains of suds piled up in the tub. Her mother laughed and reached for the shampoo. Squeezing a large amount into her hand, she worked it into Sarah's hair while the girl played with the bubbles. She stayed in the water until she was pruny. When bath time was finally over, Sarah was clean, pink, and wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe and her mother was exhausted.

"Go get dressed. Your father will be home with dinner soon." She said, her voice echoing her fatigue, and walked down the stairs.

Tripping over the folds of the much-too-large robe, Sarah padded into her room. Her bed was over run by stuffed animals and plastered to her walls were drawings of castles and fairies. She went to her dresser and, pulling out her pajamas, got dressed. Lightning flashed outside her window as she reached for a stuffed animal buried beneath the rest. She tugged the animal free, setting off an avalanche that left her surrounded by plushies. Casting a slightly guilty glance around, she tiptoed over the toys and out into the hall, a teddy bear clutched in her grasp. The sound of the front door opening and closing reached her ears and she took off at a run down the stairs.

"Daddy!" she shrieked, latching onto his legs as he put a pizza down on the table.

"Hey there little monster!" he said, reaching down and picking her up. "You hungry?"

"Yeah!"

Her mother's laughter filtered into the room from the doorway and she said, "Let me brush her hair and then we can eat."

Sarah's father set her down and her mother led her into the living room. The collection of leaves and rocks still sat on the table along with the feather. Her mother produced a hair brush and started to comb out her hair. She took her time, carefully pulling the brush through knots and tangles. Sarah was finding it difficult to sit still, especially with the smell of pizza wafting in from the kitchen. Her eyes fell on the feather and she stilled. When her mother was done brushing her hair, Sarah reached forward for the feather and tucked it into her dark locks.

Laughing, her mother asked, "Hungry?"

With a vigorous nod of her head, Sarah ran into the kitchen where her father was waiting with a plate of pizza. She wolfed her dinner down while she told of her adventure in the woods. Her father laughed and praised her bravery but it didn't go unnoticed that his wife hadn't said a word. When dinner was finished, he was clearing the dishes when she said suddenly,

"Did you bring in the mail?"

"Yes, it's in the hall."

His brows furrowed as she dashed from the room.

"Sarah, why don't you go on up to bed? Be sure to brush your teeth." He said.

Sarah nodded and hopped off her chair. She passed by her mother on her way upstairs. She was flipping rapidly through the mail, an unusual expression on her face. The girl wandered into the bathroom to brush her teeth and then to her room. Setting the feather on the nightstand, she piled her stuffed animals on the bed before crawling in after them. She didn't notice the owl perched in the window as she drifted to sleep.

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Sarah woke to the sound of shouting. She sat up and looked around, sleepily. Her room was black as pitch and, outside, the moon was high in the sky. She rolled to the edge of the bed and stood on unsteady legs. Shuffling across the room, he stepped out into the hall and peeked into her parents' bedroom. There were clothes and letters strewn all across the floor.

"You don't understand anything, do you?" her mother was sneering. "I don't know why I married an idiot like you."

She took a swig from the bottle in her hand.

"Linda . . ."

"Shut up!" she snapped, hurling the bottle at him. It flew right passed him and smashed against the wall, spraying the room with alcohol.

"You're worthless. Gone all day at that stupid job while I stay home and take care of that brat! I clean up after her and cook her food and listen to her stupid stories just so those pigs can tell me I'm not what they're looking for!"

She brought her hand to her mouth only to find that her bottle was gone.

"Mommy?" Sarah asked, wide-eyed, from the doorway.

Two sets of eyes turned her way, one strained with fatigue and worry, the other muddled with anger and alcohol.

"Sarah-", her father began but he was cut off.

"What do _you_ want?" her mother spat. "Don't you know that no one wants you here? I wish the goblins would come and take you away-"

It was her father's turn to cut her off. In a harsh voice, he said, "That's enough Linda."

He went to his daughter and picked her up. Tears were beginning to glisten in her eyes. He carried her back to her room and tucked her back into bed.

"Don't worry about your mother. She's just upset that she didn't get the part in her play."

Sarah nodded but it did nothing for the tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry sweetheart." He murmured, kissing her forehead. "Try to get some sleep; it'll be better in the morning."

He wiped away the tears as she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come. She felt him move away and she cracked her eyes opened to see her mother standing in the doorway. The angry expression was gone, replaced by a look of muddied confusion. Linda looked to her husband but all he gave her was a cold glare as he pushed passed her into the hall. She looked toward her daughter, the confusion growing more prominent in her face. Taking a step forward, she stumbled into the room, trying to regain the balance she had just suddenly lost. She clutched the dresser as the urge to vomit swept over her intoxicated frame. She was about to run down the hall to the bathroom when the windows burst open. Linda reeled; her drunken mind unable to process what lay before her. Sarah shot up in bed, the shimmering air swirling around her. There, perched in the window, was the Goblin King.


	2. Hour 1

**A/N: I have to apologize for not getting this chapter out sooner, I've been without internet for several weeks now and it's killing me x.x Anyway, I had a bit of writer's block with this and I'm not sure I liked how it turned out . . .**

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><p>Jareth looked with disdain at the drunken woman opposite him before casting his mismatched eyes towards the girl. He cocked his head at her, a smirk playing on his lips. His head swung back in Linda's direction when she started sputtering.<br>"W-w-wha? Who?" She clutched her head as the beginning of a raging headache built in the front of her skull.  
>He could have rolled his eyes at the pitiful woman. Her speech was slurred to such an extent that she was barely understandable and she was swaying in an attempt to keep her balance. He unfolded his slender legs and stood up, a breeze tugging lightly on his hair.<br>"I suppose you would argue that you didn't mean to wish your daughter away however, in your current state, I don't think you can form a complete sentence." He said, folding his arms across his chest. Dressed all in black, he was a rather intimidating figure.  
>"Wha-what?"<br>"You've made a wish, and I am bound to honor it."  
>Linda shook her head, trying not to vomit and trying to understand at the same time. Jareth sighed softly.<br>"You're the Goblin King!" Sarah piped up.  
>Said Goblin King could barely keep the smirk off his face as he turned his gaze to the girl. "Yes."<br>A wide smile spread across her lips. His smirk grew as he stalked over to her bed and leaned in to wipe the tearstains from her face with a gloved hand. Her eyes suddenly became very heavy and her body sagged under the weight of sleep. He picked her up and settled her on his hip, her breath slow and even. He couldn't help but notice how soft her hair was when her head found a place beneath his jaw. Snorting softly, Jareth turned to the window but stopped when Linda yelled, "Wait!"  
>She couldn't process much in her drunken state but she knew that that was her baby in the arms of some strange man. The Goblin King heaved a sigh before glancing back. The room was already beginning to disappear. Thick stripes of orange sky swept like paint across the ceiling. Wispy wild grass sprouted from the floor and a tree stood in the doorway. Linda didn't notice any of it. Her sights were trained on the girl in the Goblin King's arms. Jareth narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.<br>"You want her back? Fine then. You have thirteen hours in which to solve my labyrinth or she's mine forever."  
>His words were almost harsh. He scoffed as the woman staggered forward in an attempt to reach her child but he was already fading.<br>"Pitiful." his voice echoed after he had vanished.

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The goblins were having a wonderful time in the absence of their king. Not that they didn't have a wonderful time in his presence. It was just that his mood shifted so unpredictably that they were often subject to his anger. But now that he was gone, they were having a wonderful time drinking and gambling and racing livestock and doing pretty much what they did when he was there. In fact, they were having such a fantastic time that they didn't notice when he appeared in front of his throne with a human child in his arms. That is until he said, not very loudly but with enough force to silence the entire room, "Quiet!"

And quiet it was. Every goblin had frozen at the sound of their king's voice. Jareth swept his mismatched eyes around the room.

"Well, get out."

It was utter chaos for a few minutes. Everywhere goblins scrabbled, tripping over themselves in their haste to obey their king. When the room was finally empty, Jareth looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms.

"Lonely am I?" he asked her. But of course there was no answer. Sighing softly, he left the throne room and swept down the hall towards what could be classified as guest rooms. He pushed open the last door at the end of the hallway. Inside was an enormous bed over which hung a tapestry of a black dragon circling over a castle. To one side was a wardrobe and on the opposite large windows. The Goblin King crossed the room and set the girl down on the bed. She mumbled something but he couldn't make out what it was. Chuckling softly, he pulled the covers over her. She mumbled again but this time what he heard sounded vaguely like, "Don't take my gold fish, you big meanie."

He paused for a moment; his eyebrows arched high in what could be confusion or surprise, and then shook his head. Humans had such odd dreams. Straightening, Jareth walked to the door but paused when a short huff reached his ears. He glanced back to see the dragon from the tapestry lifting itself from the fabric, smoke billowing around its head. The Goblin King raised a finger to his lips. The dragon snorted and resumed its place on the tapestry. A smirk tugged at his lips as he left the room. Now where had all his goblins gone?


	3. Hour 2

**A/N: First off, I have to say I'm deeply sorry for this chapter being tragically short and ridiculously overdue. I had horrible writer's block :6 so at some point I just said to myself -Quit putting it off and just muscle your way through it or you're never gonna continue with the story!- . . . Or something along those lines :P. So I did and here's all I came up with. And while I'm at it, I'll apologize for Linda, I don't really have a lot of experience writing drunk ~ I hope you'll forgive me and please enjoy!**

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><p>The goblins were having a wonderful time. When they had been banished by their king, most of the goblins had retreated to the kitchen. They had found an open barrel of some concoction consisting mainly of alcohol and toad slime and passed it around until the barrel was empty. Pleasantly tipsy, they started their shenanigans once again. They started brawls, chased chickens, crafted playgrounds out of kitchen furniture, and made a general mess of the place. Unfortunately, their fun was somewhat short lived what with the return of the Goblin King. The poor dears just couldn't catch a break.<p>

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Sarah was still asleep, dreaming of castles and faeries and golden owls. While she slept, the black dragon blew smoke rings, filling the room with smoky, earthy fragrance.

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On a hill covered in wild grass, Linda was knelt in the sand, emptying her stomach of its contents. And when there was nothing left, she started puking up stomach acid. She had a raging headache and she was beyond dizzy. Groaning, she struggled to her feet and wobbled down the hill. There was a massive wall at the bottom along with a dwarf spraying some kind of gas into the air. She staggered over to him.

"I-I need to get in…my daughterssss…"

The dwarf looked up with a raised eyebrow at the drunken woman. He thought for a moment and decided it would be easier to just let her in.

"That's where you gets in." He said, pointing toward a large door that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Sssank you." She slurred and stumbled into the labyrinth. The dwarf stared after her for a moment before dismissing the whole thing with a gesture of hand and a slightly exasperated, "Bah!"

Clinging to the wall to keep her balance, she wandered down the endless stretch in the beginning of the labyrinth. It wasn't long until there was no wall beneath her fingers, on account of one of the countless openings, and she stumbled through it. This happened several hundred times until she was impossibly lost, not that her intoxicated mind could actually process that point. Her mind was beyond hazy. She wandered the maze until her wobbly legs finally gave up on her. Crashing to the ground, she crawled for a few feet before curling into a ball and falling into a sleep deeper than death.


	4. Hour 3

**A/N: I did it again :6 here's another apology for taking so long with this chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it. And if Jareth seems like he's out of character, I apologize for that too. I own nothing!**

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><p>Sarah blinked awake and, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, sat up. She cast a tired look across the room, quickly coming to the conclusion that this was not her bedroom and she didn't actually know where she was. There was a flash of a shadow at the corner of her eye. She glanced up to see the dragon from the tapestry hovering above her. A huge grin broke out over her face. It flapped its wings lazily and sailed across the room. Scrambling to the edge of the bed, she hopped down and followed the dragon over to the window. It set down on the window ledge and stared at her with a slight expression of disdain.<p>

"Hi, I'm Sarah." She said, oblivious to the dragon's irritation. "What's your name?"

The dragon snorted a smoke ring in her face, inducing a short fit of coughing. With a small frown, she reached out to touch him and said, "Can't you talk?"

He shied away from her, his eyes narrowing into suspicious slits. She chewed her lip briefly and then smiled brightly.

"I'll call you Egg."

His eyes went wide with shock and he coughed up a little puff of smoke. Shaking his head, he hissed at her, his little purple tongue sticking out.

"Come on now." She said, holding out her hand, still intent on petting him. "Come on Egg."

He growled at her, a rather high-pitched sound that wasn't very intimidating, and when her hand drew closer he nipped her fingertips lightly.

"Oww!" she whined, sticking her fingers in her mouth even though he hadn't done much harm at all. The dragon snorted at her again, sending another smoke ring in her direction, and took off into the air. He glided over to the door and landed on the doorknob. At least, half of him did. The other half scrabbled for purchase on the slick metal but found none. He slid off the handle, unfurling his wings just in time to catch himself before he hit the floor. Letting out an annoyed huff, he floated back up to see that his weight had been enough to turn the knob and the door was now ajar. He glanced back at Sarah and blew a stream of smoke at her. Padding over to him, she pulled the door open wide and peeked out into the hall. It was empty. She glanced up at the dragon as he spiraled out into the hallway.

"Wait for me Egg!" she cried, following him down the hall. He rolled his eyes while her stubby legs struggled to catch up.

-. - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

After half an hour of trailing Egg, wandering up and down stairs and through halls of seemingly endless doorways, Sarah found herself outside in a courtyard. Four paths converged in the center where a beautiful fountain sat, water trickling down into a shallow pool in which several goblins were swimming. Sarah's face split into a delightful grin and she streaked over to the fountain. They didn't notice her at first, too engrossed in a game of what looked like water polo involving a chicken, but she was not one to be ignored.

"Excuse me!" she yelled, despite the fact that she stood right next to them.

They froze mid-chicken and turned to look in Sarah's direction. They glanced at each other and then back at her. They then proceeded to flop about madly in the water, for what reason only goblins knew. Sarah giggled at them and they froze again.

"What are you laughing at?" One of them barked in a throaty voice.

"Oh I'm sorry. You're all just so cute."

A few of their jaws dropped while others blushed at her comment. The throaty one grumbled and splashed her right in the face. She sputtered briefly and flashed an angry face.

"Now you're gonna get it."

With a wild warrior yell, she hopped into the fountain and sent a wave of water hurtling toward the goblin. The force bowled him over which sent the others into fits of laughter.

"Splunk got squirped!" One of them cackled.

The throaty goblin, Splunk, lurched to his feet, his wet hair plastered across his face. He cast a shifty glance at all the occupants of the fountain and the snickering quickly died down. When he turned his glare on Sarah, she placed her hands on her hips and stared defiantly back. His jaw worked as he ground his teeth. There was a long stretch of uncomfortable silence until he broke it.

"WAAAAAAR!" he cried, kicking up water.

Thus beginning an every-goblin-for-himself splash fight that had Sarah screaming with laughter. By the time it was over, everyone was dripping wet and there was hardly any water left in the fountain. Egg had disappeared long ago after nearly getting soaked. He was back now though, hovering over the head of a Goblin King.

"Having fun?"

Silence covered the courtyard as every pair of eyes shifted towards him.

"It was all her fault yer majesty! She started it!" Splunk tattled, pointing a pudgy finger at Sarah. She shot a venomous glare in the goblins direction before glancing shyly at Jareth, her hands absently wringing the water out of her shirt.

"Is that true?"

"No! Splunk splashed me first!"

Jareth swung his eyes back toward the goblin that refused to meet his gaze. The Goblin King smirked.

"All of you, to the kitchens, I want them spotless by the time I get back."

"A-all of them?" one of the other goblins asked.

"Do you have a problem with that Rink?"

"O-of course not sire."

"Well then, off you go."

All the goblins nodded and began their slow trudge to the kitchens. Sarah started to follow but paused at the sound of his voice.

"Not you, silly girl. You're coming with me."

Sarah gulped audibly which caused his smirk to stretch. He turned on his heel and strode out of the courtyard. Egg circled in the air, pausing to flick his tongue out at her before following after the king. Sarah frowned slightly and plodded after them.

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Jareth led the girl back to her room and began to sift through the wardrobe. Egg floated lazily around the room, coming to rest on the footboard of the bed. Sarah padded over to him and he promptly blew a jet of smoke in her face.

"Eeeegg." She whined with a raspy voice, waving the smoke away.

There was a sputtering laugh and both girl and dragon looked over at the Goblin King. He glanced over his armored shoulder at them.

"Egg?"

"Yeah. That's what I call him." She replied with a smile.

He shook his head, the corners of his mouth beginning to curl upward, and returned to sorting through the wardrobe. Egg snorted with a look of distaste. Sarah was about to reach out to try and touch the dragon, who responded by baring his teeth and flicking his tongue angrily, when Jareth spoke again.

"Ah, here we are."

Sarah glanced over at the Goblin King, her hand still outstretched toward the dragon, to see a towel draped over his arm and a beautiful silver gown in his hands. She gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. Chuckling softly at her reaction, he set the dress down on the bed before tossing the towel over her head. She squeaked in surprise and fought with it for a moment. Finally finding the edge, she raised the corner above her head and peeked out, her face red in embarrassment. Jareth had to place a hand over his mouth to quell his laughter. Egg stared first at his king, then at the girl, then back at his king. The dragon shook his head and flew across to the window ledge. Dragging his hand down to smooth his expression, Jareth guided her to a door near the window that she hadn't noticed before. He pulled it open to reveal a massive marble bathroom, complete with a bathtub already filled with bubbles. Sarah started bouncing up and down, her excited squeals echoing around the room. She ran to the tub and scooped out some bubbles. Turning to Jareth, she blew the bubbles out of her hand and watched them drift through the air.

He laughed softly and said, "I'll send someone in to make sure you don't drown."

He strode out of the room, closing the door behind him, but not before Egg flew in, drawn by the heat. The dragon settled down by the sink and began puffing pleasant smoke rings into the air. Sarah busied herself with blowing bubbles.

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><p><strong>AN: Yes, another bath for Sarah. Because God only knows what was in that water . . .**


	5. Hour 4

**A/N: Hey, I managed to update twice in the same month XD that's an improvement I guess. Umm, I think I was going to say something but I forgot what it was x.x anyway I hope you enjoy**

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><p>"Oh!"<p>

Sarah turned toward the door, a sheepish grin stuck on her face. There was a tall, round goblin standing in the doorway and her jaw was practically down by her knees. She had a right to be shocked, there were bubbles everywhere. On the ceiling, the walls, spread all over the floor, clinging to a seething dragon. Though, he actually looked more like a sheep than a dragon. Sarah was remarkably suds-less.

"Oh!" the goblin repeated.

"Uhhh…hi."

The goblin promptly closed her mouth and, giving herself a shake, waddled over to the girl. "Alright you, my name's Pilla, and the king told me to clean ya up. But now it looks like I'll be having to clean up this mess too."

Sarah looked down and mumbled an apology.

"Don't worry about it. Now, into the tub."

Pilla turned around and toddled over to the incensed dragon, letting the girl strip out of her pajamas and sink into the tub.

"Poor thing." The goblin murmured, sucking in a deep breath to blow the bubbles off his scales. Egg shook off the rest of the moisture and gave her an appreciative flick of his tongue before floating over to a shelf that had miraculously avoided the suds. Pilla wheeled back toward the tub but stopped short.

"Sarah? Are you in there?"

A hand popped out of the literal mountain of bubbles.

"Oh dear." The goblin muttered, reaching for the hand and pulling the girl towards the edge of the tub. "Don't get buried under there, you'll never get out again."

Sarah giggled, pushing suds out of her face. Pilla let out a short snort of laughter before reaching for a sponge and handing it to her. While Sarah set to work scrubbing her arms, the goblin poured a large amount of shampoo onto her hair and worked it into a lather. After that, she grabbed a pitcher full of water and slowly dumped it over her head, careful not to rinse any of the soap into her eyes.

"Alright, you play with your bubbles. I gotta clean this place up."

Sarah's face filled with guilt for a moment and she toyed aimlessly with the bubbles. Pilla didn't notice as she picked up a towel and started sopping up suds that, by that point, were more water than actual suds. The expression soon faded from the girl's face while she tried to coax Egg from the shelf. He blew an angry jet of smoke and turned up his nose at her.

"Come on, it's alright."

The goblin snorted at Sarah's attempts at befriending the dragon.

"Why doesn't he like me?"

Pilla glanced in her direction, the question taking her mildly by surprise. "Don't fret, he's just sore cause he got wet. After yer clean, we can fetch him something from the kitchen."

As if on cue, Sarah's stomach growled loudly. The goblin barked out croaky laughter. "And you as well I reckon?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, let me finish and we'll find you something to munch."

Pilla got busy mopping up water from the walls while Sarah enjoyed the bubbles with renewed interest. Twenty minutes and several soaking towels later, the goblin finally finished. She wiped her hands on her dress and, grabbing a fresh fluffy towel, turned to the still steaming bath.

"You, out of there, before you turn into a raisin." She ordered warmly, holding the towel open for the girl to step into. Once she was wrapped tightly in the towel, she examined her fingers.

"I'm all pruny."

Pilla rasped another laugh and nodded, "Yes, yes, now, let's get ya dressed and we can fill yer belly."

Sarah whooped and followed the chuckling goblin out into the bedroom. Egg begrudgingly left the delightful heat of the bath to rest on said goblin's shoulder. She picked up the silver gown and turned to help Sarah into it.

"I can do it myself."

Pilla raised an eyebrow but shrugged and handed her the dress. "If you say so."

The girl took the gown and pulled it over her head while Pilla rummaged in the wardrobe for something. Tossing things over her shoulder, she finally found what she was looking for. She held up the silver slippers but paused at the sight of the girl. Her arms were raised above her head through the sleeves but the neck of the gown refused to go passed her forehead. She wriggled, the sounds of her frustration muffled by the fabric. Pilla cackled for a moment before stepping forward and undoing the three buttons in the back of the neck. The gown fell easily into place, revealing a flustered little girl chewing on her lip.

"Very good, now these." The goblin placed the satin slippers on the floor and did the buttons back up while Sarah stepped into the shoes.

"What do you think?" Pilla asked the dragon on her shoulder. He raked scrutinizing eyes over the girl and after a long moment gave a curt nod of approval. The dress was made of a silver fabric that went down just passed her knees with black and silver beads sewed into a swirling design down the front and small puffy sleeves.

"Lovely dear, now to the kitchen."

Sarah did a little skip and rushed to the door to pull it open. Her stomach gave an awful growl and she practically wailed, "Come on Pilla!"

"Alright, alright." The goblin said. Before she could move, however, a noise like high-pitched thunder rumbled in the air. Sarah swung around toward the noise and Pilla stared down at her shoulder.

"Was that your stomach Egg?" Sarah asked, eyes wide.

If he wasn't covered in black scales, the dragon would be bright red. He looked away and snorted, his expression screaming 'as if'. Sarah started giggling and Egg glared in her direction. Pilla rolled her eyes violently but, in a voice raspy with laughter, said, "Come on you two, down for a chomp."

She waddled out into the hall, followed quickly by the girl. The dragon took off from her shoulder and floated lazily in the air above them, occasionally sending a glower in Sarah's direction that she of course never noticed. He rolled his eyes and, flicking his purple tongue, shot down the hallway. They made their way down to the kitchens and Sarah's stomach wasn't shy about letting the world know it was empty.

"Are we almost there Pilla?" the girl whined.

"Yes, yes dear, it's just around the corner."

They rounded said corner and stopped dead in the archway, their expressions very different. Sarah wore a goofy smile, her eyes wide in excitement. Pilla's eyes were wide too, only hers were wide with shock, and her jaw was down by her knees again. And Egg, he wasn't all that surprised and wore an expression of disdain. The goblins had apparently found another barrel and in their drunken frenzy had forgotten all about their king's orders to clean the kitchens. Instead, they had built a castle out of tables and benches, complete with a tower made of chairs, and were now enjoying what looked to be a dance party and a game of pin the tail on the donkey. A live donkey, who was doing everything in its power to avoid the blindfolded goblins wielding tacks attached to the only thing they could find to use as tails. That being an odd assortment of kitchen utensils such as spoons, ladles, and spatulas. There were goblins hanging out of the makeshift castle, cheering on the goblins that danced to no music except for a quartet of goblin warblers. One goblin was closing in on the donkey when Pilla's jaw snapped closed and she bellowed, "And just what do you think you're doing?"

All activity ceased, save for one goblin who fell out of the tower in fear of the taller goblin. Pilla let out a violent sigh before waddling over to the center of the 'dance floor'. Settling her hands on her hips, she hollered, "Alright you miserable lot, the king told all of ya to clean up the kitchens and that's what yer gonna do or so help me I'll hang all of ya by yer ears until they're four feet long."

From somewhere in the back of the room came, "But my ears're already-"

"Oh stuff it Floppsy. Now get to work, the lot of ya."

The room was filled with the sounds of goblins scurrying about as some began to disassemble the castle while others ran to cupboards to get mops and brooms. There was one goblin, however, fully intent on pinning the tail on the donkey. He had him cornered and was about to stab him with the tack when Pilla came up, yanked the spoon out of his hand, and smacked him in the back of the head with it. The goblin yelped and darted away, yelling back an apology.

"Poor dear." Pilla said, pocketing the spoon in the front of her dress and rubbing the donkey's nose. He brayed thankfully as she untied the tether around his neck and then clomped quickly out of the kitchen. The tall goblin sighed softly before waddling back to Sarah. Egg had flown over to the massive fireplace and was sitting on the mantel, his tail flicking back and forth as he watched the goblins.

"Pilla, can we have a snack now?" Sarah asked.

"Of course." The goblin replied, her voice warm with laughter.

The dragon's ears perked up at the mention of food.

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><p><strong>AN: Hurray! A smart goblin!**


	6. Hour 5

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story, it makes me so happy to know that you're enjoying it and are looking forward to more :9 As for this chapter, this one gave me trouble x.x but I hope you like it anyway.**

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><p>"Now, what would you like to eat?" Pilla asked as she waddled over to a tall, sturdy table that had survived the goblin's shenanigans. It was loaded with food. Cheeses, breads, fruits, pitchers of milk and juice, vegetables, meats, pastries, more food than the girl had seen at one time before. Even more than at Christmas. Her eyes went wide as she followed the goblin over, her mouth beginning to water. Egg flapped his wings lazily until he was hovering above Sarah's shoulder. The two exchanged a glance that was interrupted by a high-pitched rumble from the dragon's stomach. Sarah slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. Shooting her a venomous glare, the dragon snorted a puff of smoke and shot across to the table. The girl followed suit and walked around the table to stand next to the goblin.<p>

"Well?" Pilla prompted, pushing a plate made of silver in front of her.

Sarah didn't know where to begin. Egg did. He went straight for a turkey leg. Giggling, she followed his lead again and began to pick and choose food seemingly at random. A hunk of bread here, a wedge of cheese there, an apple, a peach, a cut of ham, a slice of turkey, maybe seven fruit-filled pastries. Her plate was practically overflowing by the time she was done. Pilla cackled and, grabbing a pitcher of milk, led her to a long table that the goblins had returned to its rightful position in front of the fireplace. She poured the milk into a waiting goblet before setting the pitcher down and indicating for Sarah to have a seat on the bench. The girl pushed her plate onto the table and clambered up onto the bench. Her stomach giving another loud vocalization, she wasted no time in starting in on the food. Pilla grinned and meandered back to where Egg was already nearly halfway through the turkey leg.

"Hungry are ya?"

The dragon paused in his devouring long enough to glare half-heartedly at the goblin. Chuckling softly, she picked up the turkey leg, much to the dragon's chagrin, and placed it on a plate that she then walked over to the table.

"Come over here to eat."

He huffed softly before unfurling his wings and gliding over to the table. He gave both of them a suspicious glance and then lunged for the turkey leg. Sarah giggled around a mouthful of pastry. Egg was too busy decimating the turkey to retaliate. It wasn't long at all before all that was left was the bone. He stretched and fluttered his wings happily before letting out a small burp complete with a poof of smoke. Sarah almost choked on her milk laughing while Pilla pounded the wood tabletop, cackling. He hissed loudly but it was drowned out by their laughter. He glared at the both of them, red beneath his scales. He harrumphed and flew back to the mantel. Sarah finally calmed down, though her shoulders still shook, and she wiped the tears from her eyes with the backs of her hands.

"Oh dear, I think we've upset him." Pilla said, her voice still wobbly with laughter.

"Oh no." The girl chewed her lip lightly, feeling a little guilty. She tore off a little piece of turkey and followed the dragon over to the fireplace.

"We're sorry Egg; we didn't mean to make you feel bad."

She held out the shred of meat to him and he eyed it like it was poisoned.

"Come on, it's ok." She said softly.

The dragon's nose twitched with the scent of the turkey and he inched closer. Hesitantly, he reached out and snatched the scrap of meat from her fingers. She giggled quietly as he swallowed the turkey like he hadn't eaten anything for days. Chewing on her lip again, she reached out to touch him. He froze, watching her hand warily, and she paused. Finally, after a few awkward moments of staring at each other, Egg leaned over and touched his nose to her fingertips. Her face lit up like the Fourth of July. He rolled his eyes violently while she stroked his scales, pausing to examine his wings and his tail. Her joy bubbled out of her as laughter and she beamed up at him. Snorting softly, he slithered down the length of her arm and curled onto her shoulder. She smiled so widely her cheeks hurt. She sat back down on the bench and finished eating, occasionally offering the dragon a bite which he took without complaint. Pilla chuckled quietly as she watched the two of them.

"See how happy he is when his belly's full?" the goblin said.

Sarah nodded and rubbed his nose. Suddenly there was a loud crash. Pilla heaved a long sigh before standing up.

"Now what have they broken?"

She gathered up Sarah's empty dishes and followed the sound of drunken laughter and clattering silver. The girl giggled quietly. The dragon was half-asleep. Approximately twenty seconds later she became completely bored with sitting there by herself. She stood up and walked around the table to the archway leading out of the kitchen. She could hear faintly Pilla yelling at the goblins that had caused the mess. A grin breaking out over her face, she slipped out into the hall.

-. - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Sarah wandered the castle for a long while, up and down stairs and through countless doorways. She didn't notice the gaggle of goblins following after. Eventually, she found herself in a large room with a window overlooking the labyrinth. Peering over the window ledge, she looked out over the goblin city and the labyrinth beyond, speechless. She turned around and scanned the room. On one side there was a door slightly ajar. Drawn by curiosity, she pulled open the door and her jaw dropped in awe. The closet was filled with scores of beautiful ball gowns, intricate jewelry, and splendid shoes.

"Egg look!"

The dragon opened his eyes and blinked a couple times. He was less than surprised at the contents of the closet. He'd seen it all before after all. He nodded, mostly for her benefit, and lowered his head to nap again. She ran her hands along the fabric of the dresses, her smile growing wide to match her eyes.

"What? You never seen a dress before?"

Sarah jumped at the gargled voice and whipped around. The group of goblins was standing in the doorway, laughing at her.

"Of course I have! Just not so many…"

They glanced at each other and started laughing again. She pouted for a moment before her face brightened when she thought up a wonderful idea.

"Do you guys want to play a game?"

-. - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . –

"Here put this on." Sarah said.

"Whaaa?"

"These too! And you, wear this! Oh this is pretty! Here!"

She ran around the closet, grabbing shoes and pulling down dresses. Egg was jolted awake by her bouncing and, giving a small irritated growl, fluttered off her shoulder to rest among the strands of precious gems. He watched the girl as, one by one, she dressed the goblins in clothes fit for a ball. After the first one was swathed in lace fabric, the dragon shook his head and drifted back off to sleep. The gowns were much too large for the short goblins and they pooled on the floor around their feet and the shoes ranged from too small to too big. Then she started in on the jewelry. To their credit, the goblins had tried to escape, but they kept tripping over the fabric, the shoes, and themselves. Giggling hysterically, Sarah draped necklaces around their necks, bracelets and rings on their hands, and placed tiaras on their heads. Standing there in an awkward line, they looked positively ridiculous. She scrutinized them for a moment, tapping a finger to her lips.

"Now we need some makeup."

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><p><strong>AN: I have no idea how Jareth's gonna react to this one XD any ideas?**


	7. Hour 6

**A/N: Hello boys and girls! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I loved hearing your thoughts and ideas! I do a little dance of joy everytime I get a review XP. As for the chapter, not so sure it came out so well but if you all like it, I'm satisfied :3. And now, without further ado, I would like to present this Jareth-centric chapter as apology for my insanely inconsistent updates.**

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><p>The labyrinth was a curious thing. At times it could be as finicky and spoiled as a house cat while other times it could be aggravating and tricky or amiable and helpful. It had a mind and a will of its own but all the same it aimed to please. So when it had heard little Sarah's request for makeup, even up in the castle as she was, it couldn't help but grant it. And Sarah walked out of the closet, goblins in tow, to find a mountain of cosmetics spread across the room. Her jaw dropped at the sight but she soon got over the initial shock and began whooping happily. She reached for two tubes of lipstick, popped off the caps, and rolled them all the way out. One was a bright crimson red and the other a creamy toffee. She grinned like a deranged squirrel and turned to the goblins, lipsticks wielded like weapons.<p>

"Who's first?"

The goblins exchanged a look of horror and fear and then scattered in an attempt to escape. But they were no match for her six year old reflexes. Especially not when dressed and drowning in seven feet of fabric. She cornered two of the goblins and smeared the lipstick across their mouths. It ended up more on their cheeks than on their actual lips but she gave a grin of approval anyway. Satisfied, she left them to chase another onto the bed. The goblin ended up covered in crimson color. She made her way around the room until every goblin had either red or tan lipstick caked all over their chins. Trading the abused tubes for palettes of eye shadow, she turned on the goblins and said, "Could you guys just sit still please?"

Much to her surprise and pleasure, they obliged. Whether it was due to a realization that resistance was futile and escape highly improbable or due to something else entirely she didn't really know but they all flopped onto the ground and waited for her to make them up.

"Good goblins." She giggled, skipping up to them. She worked her way down the line, coloring in eyelids with blues, yellows, browns, greens and every color in between. She gave them buckets of compliments and they actually started getting into it. They modeled for her and each other, put on a runway show (in which the goblins struck their sexiest poses and Sarah almost suffocated giggling), and danced with each other as though they were at the ball they were dressed for. Their shrieking laughter was what got Jareth's attention. He'd been on his way to the kitchens, to check on the progress of things, when he'd heard the cackling coming from one of the spare bedrooms. He opened the door and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. On the floor, in a heap of cosmetics and crumpled fabric, were half a dozen goblins, desperately trying to catch their breath.

"Should I let you try to explain or is it straight to the bog?" he asked, his arms crossing over his chest. The laughter died a swift death.

Out of the silence came an excited, "Bog?"

Jareth cocked his head as Sarah dug her way out of the pile of fabric and goblin parts. "Ah, so this was _your_ doing?"

The girl twiddled her thumbs guiltily, refusing to meet his gaze. "Well, I wanted them to be pretty."

His hard expression cracked as a smirk spread across his lips. Eyes glittering with mirth, he addressed the goblins. "You couldn't even escape one little girl?"

They floundered for excuses, arms wagging with frenzy. From the jumble of shouted words, he picked out a few that sounded like 'smart', 'fast' and 'witch'. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Really Sarah, if you wanted a ball all you had to do was ask."

"Really? Can I have one? Pleeeeeeaaaaaaase?"

She had latched herself onto his leg and was gazing up at him with her bottom lip pushed out, pleadingly. He pinched the bridge of his nose briefly before reaching down and detaching her and her clenched fists from his breeches. "I'll consider it if you promise to behave."

"Sure, sure, I promise!" she said, nodding vigorously.

He chuckled softly. He was sure that trying to keep Sarah out of trouble was like trying to keep goblins away from ale. They were bound to find some eventually.

"Egg! There's gonna be a ball!"

Jareth watched the dragon slink through the air out of the closet to land on Sarah's shoulder. He yawned widely, his little purple tongue sticking out with the effort, and blinked sleepily.

"Making friends?"

The dragon fluttered his wings sheepishly at his king's question before snorting a smoke ring.

"Yup." Sarah said with a smile. She reached up and rubbed lightly at his scales, in response to which the dragon stiffened.

Jareth laughed under his breath. "Glad to hear it. Now, Sarah," She stared up at him, wide-eyed. "Our dear Pilla is likely worried off her head about you by now, don't you think?"

She opened her mouth to reply but promptly closed it. Chewing on her bottom lip and refusing to meet his gaze, she nodded.

"Then why don't we have our lovely friends here escort you back to the kitchens so that Pilla can stop worrying and they can get back to work." Over her head, he narrowed his eyes at the group of goblins that had finally managed to untangle themselves and stand. One brave soul raised a pudgy hand and asked, "Like this?"

The goblin indicated his and his companions' dresses but instantly knew he'd said the wrong thing when a sharp-toothed smile spread across their king's features. "Why of course. You want all your chums to see how lovely you all look, don't you?"

"Y-yes yer majesty." They all stammered in unison, sights trained on the floor. Sarah pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle her giggles. His smile easing back into an amused smirk, Jareth chuckled softly and swept his arm towards the door.

"Well go on," he said, "You can't expect our guest to wander the castle alone in search of the kitchens. Especially not while dear Pilla is so distraught over her disappearance."

The goblins all exchanged a fearful glance, each knowing full well how potent Pilla's wrath could be. One by one, they wobbled in their heels toward the door, ushering Sarah along. She glanced back and waved at Jareth who gave a small albeit embellished bow in return. He watched the goblins lead the girl down the hall, a certain dragon slithering restlessly through the air above them and trailing a small stream of smoke, before heading in the opposite direction toward his room. Taking long strides, he was safe behind closed doors in a matter of minutes. He slumped against the door and pressed a hand over his eyes. It started soft, a low chuckling, barely audible, but it grew quickly, turning into rich peals of laughter before moving on to outright hysterical cackling. Burned into his brain, and bearing an obscene amount of hilarity, was the image of the goblins dressed to the nines and Sarah looking quite pleased with herself. He stumbled forward like some sort of drunk and, falling heavily against his desk, pounded the surface with his fist as his raucous laughter echoed throughout the room. The fit lasted a good ten minutes but eventually he calmed down enough to realize his lungs were screaming. He sucked in some much needed air and released it as a long sigh, his shoulders shaking from a few leftover sniggers. He slumped into his chair and wiped at his eyes before noticing his cheeks were wet. For a moment, he became as still as stone, not quite believing. He'd laughed so hard he'd cried. This fact was enough to induce another, much softer, bout of laughter. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd laughed himself to tears. When he finally came down from his hilarity high, he wiped the tear tracks from his face and pulled a crystal out of thin air. It darkened as he peered inside and a moment later he could see Pilla squeezing Sarah so tightly the girl had gone red in the face. All around them, goblins were absolutely cracking up at the group in evening wear. When Pilla finally released the girl, who swayed slightly until she found her balance, and turned to scold the dolled up goblins, the rest started to cackle harder. That is until the tall goblin turned her wicked eye on them and pulled something from her apron. As he watched them scatter at the sight of her wooden spoon, a few diving behind Sarah to hide, the king could feel the beginnings of laughter tickling his throat. However, before it could develop into yet another full blown fit, he hurled the crystal across the room where it shattered against the wall, turning into a spray of water upon impact. Jareth leaned back in his chair, propping his boots up on the desk. There was something infinitely curious about this little girl wreaking havoc throughout his castle. It seemed almost a waste to turn her into a goblin. Curious indeed.


End file.
